News

Pa. AG Kane won't testify in her trial

Written by
The Associated Press
|
Aug 12, 2016 11:59 AM

State Attorney General Kathleen Kane, center, walks into the courtroom on the second day of her trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016 in Norristown, Pa. An ethics board accused Kane of "egregious conduct" amid criminal charges she leaked grand jury material to a newspaper to embarrass enemies and then lied about it under oath. (Dan Gleiter/PennLive.com via AP, Pool)

(Norristown) --Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane won't testify or put on any defense witnesses at her perjury and obstruction trial.

Closing arguments are set for Monday.

Kane tells the trial judge she doesn't think ``it's necessary for me to testify'' after hearing the government's case this week.

Kane is accused of leaking grand jury evidence to the press and lying about it under oath. A felony perjury conviction can bring up to seven years in prison.

The defense has asked that the case be dismissed for lack of evidence. Montgomery County Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy denied the request.

An earlier story is below:

A news reporter testifying at Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's perjury trial has declined to name the person who gave him secret documents at the heart of the case.

Then-Philadelphia Daily News political editor Chris Brennan on Friday invoked a state shield law that protects journalists from disclosing their sources.

Brennan acknowledges getting documents that showed an NAACP official had been investigated by Kane's predecessor but never charged.

Prosecutors say Kane leaked the documents through aides to embarrass a rival prosecutor and then lied about it under oath.

Her former campaign consultant says he conspired with Kane to leak the documents in 2014 and come up with a cover story afterward. Consultant Josh Morrow has been granted immunity for that testimony Thursday.

Brennan now works for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The original story is below:

Prosecutors are continuing to lay out their perjury and corruption case against state Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Kane's trial is set to resume this morning in Montgomery County, a day after a political consultant told jurors that he "conspired'' with her to pin a grand jury leak on her top deputy.

On Thursday, consultant Josh Morrow testified under a grant of immunity.

He said that he and Kane concocted a story in August 2014 that a top deputy had leaked the secret files to a newspaper. Morrow acknowledges telling the story to a grand jury.

Morrow says Kane was becoming "unhinged'' over her feud with a rival prosecutor and leaked the material to embarrass him.

Kane denies the allegations.

She remains in office but has lost her law license and is not running for re-election.

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